#11 – RHP Michael Fulmer

Why Ranked Here: The Mets paid Fulmer nearly a million dollars out of high school in Oklahoma ($937.5 K) because they saw two plus pitches from him.

When I saw him in the GCL he was sitting 92-94 for the duration of his short (2.1 IP) outing. Believe it or not, that was his longest outing in his month as a professional. His second plus offering: a hammer of a curveball in the low 80s. He didn’t show much in the way of a changeup, but most pitchers drafted out of high school don’t. If he’s going to stay a starter, he’ll need to improve that third pitch.

Unlike other high school hurlers, Fulmer is already fairly solidly built. Some guys just never get thicker and add strength, so Fulmer is ahead of those contemporaries. He should still be able to turn some of his size into strength.

It’s not hard to dream of a very nice rotation piece here.

2011: Add velocity in high school, make a million dollars. Oh, and strike out a third of the batters you face in your professional debut.

Dr. Pangloss Says: Really good starting pitcher.

Debbie Downer Says: Yeah, and he’s thrown 5.1 professional innings.

Projected 2012 Start: Good question. Says here Savannah, but the Mets will monitor he innings very carefully after throwing 68 last year in high school.